Born July 19, 1917 in Madison, Connecticut. He was the son of Worthington Scranton, a wealthy Pennsylvania businessman, and the grandson of Joseph A. Scranton, a U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania. The Scranton family were founders and patriarches of Scranton, Pa. William suffered from Asthma as a child, and his health was always considered somewhat frail. He began his schooling at the Scranton County Day School, which had been founded by his parents. He then attended Fessenden School in Newton, MA., and the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. Scranton went on to earn his bachelor of arts degree from Yale University in 1939, and then earning his law degree from Yale Law School in 1946.
His studies were interrupted by WWII. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp as an aviator in October of 1941, even before the attack on Pearl Harbor. As an Airport Transport Command Pilot, Lieutenant Scranton did not see combat, but he played an important role in moving combat planes from Brazil to North Africa, as well as training pilots in the Middle East and the China-Burma Theater of war.
Discharged with the rank of Captain at the end of the war, Scranton was able to complete his law studies and pass the Pennsylvania bar exam in August of 1945. He then began his law practice with O'Malley, Harris, Warren & Hill in Scranton, Pa. William Scranton remained active in the Air Force Reserve until his retirement 20 years later with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He became active in Republican politics in the 1950's, and came to the attention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959. Eisenhower appointed him as a special assistant to the Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. Scranton searved a little over a year before resigning to run for Congress. Scranton's family name and connections made it possible for him to win the election over the Democratic incumbent. He represented Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 through 1963. In 1962 Scranton ran for Govenor of Pennsylvania, winning by a landslide. Under existing Pennsylvania law, Scranton was limited to a single term. In 1976 he was chosen by President Geralf Ford to become an Ambassador to the United Nations. After his term in the United Nations was over he retired home to Dalton, Pa.
On June 7, 2000, Scranton became the 3rd recipient of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commision's Pennsylvania Founders Award. Presented by Govenor Tom Ridge. The criteria of this honor is for a living person who represents the ideals of William Penn in individual rights, religous toleration, representative government, public support of education, and free enterprise.
